Anatomic vein occluder



y-= 2, 1.942. T. D. CLARK 2,282,853

ANATOMIC VEIN OCCLUDER Filed Feb. 24, I941 Patented May 12,1942

Application February 24, 1941, Serial No. 380,137 x Claims. (01. 128-327) In the practice of intravenous therapy it is the usual practice to apply a tourniquet to the patients arm above the elbow for the purpose. of

retarding the return flow of blood in the super flcial basilic and other veins and their tributaries, thereby causing these vein adjacent the elbow to become distended to thereby facilitate the therapeutic treatment. The object of my invention is to provide an apparatus of simple, durable and inexpensive construction which may be readily, quickly and easily applied to a patients arm and by the use of which the veins to be operated upon are occluded to a greater degree than. can be produced by the application of a tourniquet and at the same time the soft tissues adjacent the patients elbow will be drawn away from the area in which theveins to be treated are located, therebycausing the veins to be more clearly visible, and, also, at the same time gripping and holding said portions of the veins against lateral movements, thereby greatly facilitating an intravenous therapy treatment,

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 shows a side view of the anatomic vein occluder, a portion of the body being broken away;

Figure 2 shows a top or plan view of same;

Figure 3 shows a vertical longitudinal sectional view of same showing a patients arm in its initial position within the apparatus;

Figure 4 shows a similar view showing the patients arm in an extended position and the flexible suction cup and its tissue-compressing flange in position for occluding the veins in the side of the arm opposite the elbow;

Figure 5 shows a sectional View on the line 55 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 shows a top or plan view of same show- 7 ing the veins in the patients arm occluded and held against lateral movement;

Figure 7 shows a sectional view on the line 7-! of Figure 1; and

Figure 8 shows a side view, partly in section, showing an auxiliary cup which may be used for reducing the size of the suction cup.

The apparatus comprises a base, indicated generally by the reference numeral [0. Its upper surface is preferably arched longitudinally, as shown. At its top central portion it is formed with an oval opening at H'.

Secured within the body is an oval suction cup 12, preferably formed of rubber and having a base portion l3 secured within the body by a bolt of the cup I2 is a pad I 5 of yieldingmaterial such as sponge rubber.

When pressure is applied to. the inner central portion of the cup [2 it will be depressed,- and.

when pressure is applied to'th'e u'pperv end'portions of the cup the pad will be depressed and the cup will become elongated somewhat flattened out and relatively shallow,'as' shown in Figure l- At the upper edge of the cup i2 is a ti'ssue-com-' 1 pressing and vein-gripping flange I6 completely surrounding the cup and extendedinwardlyto- Ward the center of the cup. The upper edge of the, cup is arched longitudinally, as shown in Figure 1.

At each opposite side edge of the cup I apply, a stiffening plate ll made of thin spring metal and connected to the cup byrivets or otherwise. The ends of the plates I! are spaced apart at the ends of the cup and are connected by contractile coil springs l8.

The patients arm, is shown, is indicated by the reference numeral IS, the forearm 20, the elbow 2|, and the veins 22.

The hospital using my apparatus should havel different sizes of cups for different sized patients.

.I have, however, provided foradapting a large sized cup for a. patient of relatively smaller proportion by providing a supplemental rubber cup 23 having a flange 24 at'its top, projected both outwardly and inwardly. This maybe placed thereby adapt the appaQ the main 'cup and will ratus for a smaller sized patient.

I 4, or otherwise. Surrounding the lower portion In practical use the patients forearm i s bent to position substantially at right angles to the arm, and the elbow is placed near the central portion of the cup, as shown in Figure 3. vThen the arm is pressed downwardly in the cup and moved to an extended position with the forearm substantially in line with the arm. The flange l 6 extends over portions of the superficial basilic veins in the arm above the elbow.

During-the movement just described, the following results are effected: The cup is elongated, thereby causing its sides to move toward each other, the flexible spring plates I! hold the central side portion of the cup upwardly and the springs apply pressure tending to' assist in moving the sides of the cup toward each other. This causes the softtissue-compressing and; veingripping flange Hi to press into the tissues of the arm and forearm and form an air-tight seal at the point of engagement. As the cup is collapsed or flattened out, a partial vacuum is formed and this applies a suction to that part of the patients sk1n and soft tissues below the flange, thereby it crosses the vein will hold the vein against lateral movement.

I have demonstrated that with my apparatus, the veins in a patients arm may be quickly and easily made more prominent so that they may be easily found, and that the vein is gripped and held against lateral movement, enabling the surgeon to easily penetrate it with his instruments.

I claim as my invention:

1. An anatomic vein occluder, comprising anelongated cup-shaped body of flexible resilient I material shaped to receive a patients elbow and portions of the arm adjacent thereto and havin a tissue-compressing and vein-gripping flange surrounding its upper open edge and extended inwardly, said cup-shaped body' and flange having such flexibility and'resiliency thatwhen a patients elbow is pressedinto the cup-shaped body and the armextended'and pressed down at the points where they'engage the ends of the cup-shaped body, .the side portions of said flange will be moved inwardly toward'thelongitudinal center of the cup-shaped bodyand'the flange pressed against the sides; of the' patie'nts farm, and when the pressure is removed the parts 'will assume their first mentionedpo'sition;

2. An anatomic vein occluder, comprising {an elongated cup-shaped body of flexible -resilient material shaped to receive a patients elbow and portions of the armadjacent' thereto and'havin a tissue-compressing and vein-gripping flange surrounding its upper open edgeand extended inwardly, said cup-shaped body and'flangehav-i 7 ing such flexibility and resiliencythatwhenia patients elbow is pressed into' the cup-Shaped body and the arm extended'and'pressed down at the points where they engage the "ends gof .the cup-shaped body, the sideportions of "said flange will be moved inwardly towardthe longitudinal material shaped to receive a patients elbow and portions of the arm adjacent thereto and having a tissue-compressing and vein-gripping flange surrounding its upper open edge and extended inwardly, said cup-shaped body and flange having such flexibility and resiliency that when a patients elbow is pressed into the cup-shaped body and the arm extended and pressed down at the points Where they engage the ends of the cup-shaped body, the side portions of said flange will be moved inwardly toward the longitudinal center of the cup-shaped body and the flange pressed against the sides of the patients arm,

and when the pressure is removed, the parts will assume their first mentioned position, and a flexible plate fixed to each of the long sides of the cup-shaped body near the upper edge thereof.

center of the cup-shaped body andthe flange pressed against the sides of'the patients arm,

and when the pressure is removed the parts will assume their first mentioned position, and 'a yielding base member supporting the cup-shaped body. v

3, An anatomic vein occluder', comprising an elongated cup-shapedbody of flexible resilient 4. 'An anatomic vein occluder, comprising an elongated cup-shaped body of flexible resilient material shaped to receive a patients elbow and portions of the armadjacent thereto and having a tissuercompressing and vein-gripping flange surrounding its upper open edge and extended inwardly, said cup-shaped body and flange having such flexibility and resiliency that when a patients elbow is pressed into the cup-shaped body and the arm extended and pressed down at the points where they engage the'ends of the cup-shaped body, the side portions of said flange will be moved inwardly toward the longitudinal center'of' the cup-shaped body and the flange pressed against the sides of the patients arm, and when the pressure is removed'the parts will assume their first mentioned position, a flexible plate fixed to each of 'the long sides of the cupshaped body near the'upper. edge thereof, and contractile springs'connecting said plates at their end portions. f

5. Ananatomical vein -occluder, comprising a substantially oval-shapedcup of flexible resilient material, the longitudinal sides at the open top being arched upwardly at their central portions, a flexible resilient inwardly extended flange surrounding the top edge of the cup, said parts beingsoshaped and proportioned as to' receive a patients elbow at the lower central portion of the cup, and then when the patients arm is extended,said flange will be pressed into the skin and soft tissues of. the arm sufl'iciently to form an airtight seal 501211813 a partial vacuum maybe maintained within the cup. v

' THOMAS D. CLARK. 

